Twitter Suspends Fake Accounts after Trump Thanks Propaganda Bot For Its Support

Over the weekend, Twitter suspended several fake accounts using false names and photoshopped images to spread pro-Trump propaganda.

In a tweet on Saturday, President Donald Trump expressed thanks to Twitter user @Protrump45, an account that posted exclusively positive memes about the president. But the woman whose name was linked to the account said her identity was stolen and that she planned to file a police report. The victim asserted that her identity was used to sell pro-Trump merchandise, according to David Edwards of Raw Story.

After the account was stolen by Trump fans who used it for pro Trump propaganda, the name was changed to “Nicole Mincey”. The real name of the victim has been withheld to protect her privacy.

The @Protrump45 account also linked to the website Protrump45.com which sells Trump propaganda. All of the articles on the website were posted by other Twitter users, which were also fake accounts.

Mashable noted that the accounts were suspected of being so-called “bots” used to spread propaganda about Trump. Russia has been accused of using similar tactics with bots during the 2016 campaign.

It is unknown at this time if the accounts are actually from those who are pro Trump, or if they are like the Macedonia Teenagers who saw the gullibility of many Trump supporters as an easy way to make money.

By Sunday night, Twitter had suspended @Protrump45 and all of the Twitter accounts associated with the Protrump45.com website. Trump, seemingly unaware that he thanked a fake account for its support, had not removed his tweet thanking @Protrump45 by the time of publication.